Waitrose working to encourage sustainable food production
Two crops or one? Sometimes, growing two crops simultaneously on the same piece of land – called intercropping – can benefit farmers. But it needs careful planning and resource management. In some parts of Africa, farmers intercrop sorghum – a grain – and peanuts. But they face a major information gap. There hasn’t been much […]
UK horticultural crop research organisation NIAB EMR has appointed Dr Andrew Simkin to lead its emerging fruit quality and development research programme. Dr Simkin will be expanding NIAB EMR’s capabilities in fruit quality research in perennial and annual horticultural crops, tackling the challenge of improving the flavour and health benefits associated with fruit consumption. He […]
For early career researchers spanning plant and crop science and those in aligned areas such as pathology, entomology, bioinformatics, engineering and robotics: NIAB wishes to support outstanding early career researchers in applications for independent research fellowship such as: BBSRC David Phillips Fellowships BBSRC Future Leader Fellowships NERC Independent Research Fellowships Royal Society University Research Fellowships
Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), the Scottish-based vertical farming business, is set to complete the construction of its first indoor growth facility in the next few months. The purpose-built facility is being constructed at the James Hutton Institute‘s site in Invergowrie, near Dundee. The completion of the indoor farm will allow for a full-scale trial to […]
Ahead of British Flowers Week, early sunflowers are harvested for Waitrose, by a father and sons team in the Lincolnshire Fens, near Spalding. Henry and Charles Robinson are the sixth generation of flower growers, working on their 147 year old family farm, with their father Richard. The Robinson’s farm has 420 acres of sunflower fields, […]
The world’s leading plant scientists are set to gather for the Fourth International Horticulture Research Conference, taking place at NIAB EMR in East Malling, Kent, from 16th to 20th July 2017. The Conference will bring together international researchers conducting fundamental research on horticultural crops, to showcase the latest research findings and to network with colleagues from around the world. […]
A professor from the University of Reading has joined the board of a global food research and development charity, whose aim is to provide food security for billions of people around the globe. The World Vegetable Center works across Asia and Africa to alleviate poverty and malnutrition in developing countries, and has appointed Professor Richard […]
Timing the harvest and transport of highly perishable, hand-picked crops such as strawberries so these delicate products reach consumers at peak flavor and freshness is an intricate dance that partners Mother Nature with manual labor. However, many of the “smart farming” techniques and technologies that help growers harvest more of what they sow faster and […]
Waitrose has made a commitment to growing British salad leaves all year round, as part of their ongoing support for UK farming. The new and innovative growing system is a UK first and has been in development since 2014.
It seems we are facing a Courgette Crisis. Although it’s really just a bit of a run on green vegetables, it does remind us that actually, courgettes – and now iceberg lettuce – shouldn’t be ‘February vegetables’. This raises some important issues about what we as consumers have learned to expect when it comes to […]
©2019 LANCASTER UNIVERSITY